Cap for containers



Jan. 20, 1948.

N. S. SODDERS CAP FOR CONTAINERS Filed April 12, 1945 a\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ ll W flit 0 Ways Patented Jan. 20, 1948 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CAP FOR CONTAINERS Noel S. Sodders, Cleveland, Ohio Application April 12, 1945, Serial No. 587,875

1 Claim. 1

This invention relates to a cap fora container, and aims primarily to a cap preferably made of a moulded plastic material in the form of a truncated cone terminating in a fiat top having a pouring aperture formed therein, and a vent in the circumferential wall thereof, and which is especially designed for rapid and ready attachment to or detachment from the mouth of a milk bottle and the like, and when attached thereto is secured and locked against accidental dislodgement therefrom by the tensioned elasticity inherent in the material out of which it is made.

An object of the invention is to provide a simple, sturdy cap which may be quickly mounted on and readily removed from the mouth of the container.

It is also an object of the invention to provide a complete cap which is light in weight, but very sturdy in construction, and which can be manufactured at a very low cost.

The invention comprises the improved container cap as hereinafter claimed.

Referring to the accompanying explanatory drawing Figure 1 is a front elevation of a cap constructed in one convenient form in accordance with this invention mounted in a fragmentary neck portion of a conventional milk bottle.

Figure 2 is a plan view of a cap removed from the bottle, and showing the aperture in the top surface thereof.

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view along the line A-A in Figure 2.

Figure 4 is front elevation of a variant showing the cap member mounted on the outside of the bottle mouth.

Contemplated by the present invention is a cap for a container like a milk bottle embodying a slightly truncated conical member I of resilient material made of a moulded plastic designed to be contracted circumferentially and sprung into the mouth 2 of the bottle 3 which is a very important feature and object of the invention and is to be correlated in the broad aim of enhancin the eificiency of the cap in general use.

The cap is provided with an inverted U-shaped vent 4 in its circumferential wall to facilitate the entry of air when liquid is being poured from the bottle in or on which the cap may be mounted. The U-shaped vent permits the cap to yield circumferentially, so that the vent as made serves a dual purpose. The outer lower perip a l Of the cap frictionally engages in the rabbet 5 formed in the mouth of the bottle which supports and locates the cap therein. The inherent resiliency in the material yieldingly maintains the cap in operative engagement in the mouth of the container.

Occasionally two bottles supposedly of the same size are found to differ slightly in circumference. The present cap will take care of this slight difference so that actually one cap will fit considerably more than several sizes.

The cap is provided with an orifice 6 through which the liquid may be poured from the container. The orifice is positioned in an exact line with the inverted U-shaped notch but opposite thereto in the top of the cap as shown in the respective figures of the drawing, so that the liquid will not leak through the vent opening in pouring. It will be noted that the orifice is positloned inwardly from the periphery of the cap so that it acts as a skimmer to skim the cream that forms on the top of the milk.

The cap 7 which is shown in Figure 4, is distended to fit over the bead or narrow rounded molding at the top of the bottle as at 8.

Although the invention has been described in its preferred embodiments, it is to be understood, of course, that it is not limited thereby. but comprises all that comes wlthin the scope of the appended claim.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

An improved container cap for a bottle provided with a mouth having an internal seat, comprising a cap with an upwardly converging circumferential wall of resilient material, an integrally formed top wall therewith, the upwardly converging circumferential wall having an inverted U-shaped vent notch formed therein extending from the bottom of the upwardly converging circumferential wall and stopping short of the height thereof and also adapted to permit the aforementioned upwardly converging circumferential wall to be drawn together to contract it, whilst permitting it to expand in the seat in the mouth of the bottle in which it may be removably mounted to frictionally hold it in position therein, the top wall having a narrow elongated pourin orifice therein opposite to the upright U-shaped vent notch and slightly inward from the periphery of the upwardly converging circumferential wall.

NOEL S. SODDERS.

REFERENCE S CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 914,960 Lee Mar. 9, 1909 1,343,760 Borgner June 15. 1920 1,436,645 Brown Nov. 28, 1922 

